The present invention relates to a portable batt cutter, and in particular, to a portable batt cutter which can cut extended lengths of standard width fibrous insulation blanket into batts sized in length and preferably both length and width to fit standard and non-standard size structural framework cavities.
Building structures, such as residential houses, industrial buildings, office buildings, mobile homes, prefabricated buildings, and similar structures typically include walls (both exterior and interior), ceilings, floors, and roofs which are insulated for thermal and/or acoustical purposes, especially the exterior walls and the roofs of such structures. The walls, ceilings, floors and roofs of these structures include framing members, e.g. studs, rafters, joists, beams, and similar support members, which are normally spaced-apart standard distances and, in the case of walls, form cavities having a standard length or height. Sheathing, paneling, lathing or similar construction materials are secured to the framing members to form the walls, ceilings, floors and roofs of the structures.
Building contractors seek to maintain the spacing between such framing members and the length or height of the framework cavities formed by such framing members at the standard widths and lengths (e.g. for the exterior wall of a residential house about fifteen inches in width by about ninety-seven inches in height) for ease of construction and installation of the insulation. However, frequently the cavities defined by the framing members in the walls, ceilings, floors and roofs of such buildings or structures have non-standard widths and lengths, e.g. the framing members are spaced apart distances less than the standard distance and/or the lengths or heights of the cavities are less or greater than a standard length or height for such cavities. Studies have shown that in a typical residential house built in the United States, it is common for 50% or more of the framing members in the exterior walls of these structures to be spaced apart at non-standard distances less than the standard spacing for such framing members and/or to define wall cavities having lengths or heights greater or less than the standard cavity height for such exterior wall cavities.
Thus, there has been a need to provide insulation batts at the construction site which are custom sized to fit standard width standard length cavities, non-standard width standard length cavities, non-standard width non-standard length cavities and standard width non-standard length cavities.